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It is 1889 and Edward Meringa perches on the rocks at the tiny harbour and gazes out to the slave boats in the distance.
He does not know it, but he is about to make a decision that will change the course of Australian sporting history.
On board the ships are hundreds of fellow inhabitants of tiny Tanna Island – all heading for a what they have been told will be ‘a new life’ in Queensland – but what in reality will be endless hours of backbreaking, cane-cutting graft under blazing skies for little pay.
Mal Meninga (pictured, above) reflected on his great-grandfather Edward Meringa’s bravery
Meninga is a legendary figure in the world of Australian rugby league and was a superb player
Meringa has not been chosen under the infamous cheap labour system of ‘blackbirding’, which wrenched tens of thousands of South Sea Islanders from their homes.
But the prospect of opportunity overseas intrigues him so much that he has spent months learning English at a Welsh missionary and picking up the ways of the Europeans.
Does he stay or does he go? Turn around or jump (and hope the sharks beneath are distracted long enough for him to make it)? He takes a deep breath, plunges into the South Pacific and swims out…
More than 130 years later, at a hotel in Coventry, one of the most recognisable faces in the world of rugby league sips his coffee and reflects on his great grandfather’s actions.
‘I think about it a lot,’ says Mal Meninga, the Australia coach who is here to oversee his nation’s defence of their World Cup crown.
‘I consider myself lucky he did it and I’m proud of it, and proud because I think I share some of his traits. He had hope, positivity, optimism – jumping into the water to have a crack.’ It was the jump that created a legend. Meninga, now 62, has won it all.
Meninga, now 62, was speaking in an exclusive interview with Sportsmail’s Mike Keegan
Having won it all, he is hoping to retain the Rugby League World Cup with the Australia side
Retiring as the highest point scorer in Test history, he captained Canberra to three premierships before entering into a coaching career coated in silverware, winning a ridiculous nine State of Origin titles for Queensland.
An explosive, rapid centre, he was Jonah Lomu before Jonah Lomu. Meninga is one of few whose image transcends the sport. He has broken British and English hearts on more occasions than you would wish to remember and in 2018 was named an Immortal – the highest honour in Australian rugby league.
None of that would have been possible had it not been for Edward, who battled racism and came close to being sent back to Tanna when the government saw fit to introduce a White Australia policy following the turn of the century.
‘Anyone of any colour was put back on boats,’ Meninga – whose name reflects the Anglicised version of Meringa – explains. ‘Italians, Chinese, everyone.. They wanted a white, ‘superior’ society, which luckily didn’t last too long. My great grandfather married a white, Irish woman and stayed in the country.’
With the family established in Queensland, Meninga was born in 1960 but times were still tough. His father, himself a rugby league captain and coach, travelled the state, following the work in abattoirs and on cane fields. His own childhood was a happy one, although not without tears.
‘We played by weight back then, not age,’ Meninga explains. I was a big kid so my earliest memories were as a nine-year-old playing against 12-year-olds.’ He laughs.
A rapid, explosive centre, his playing style is comparable to ‘Jonah Lomu, before Jonah Lomu’
‘They hurt me! It toughened me up, made me a bit more resilient but I cried many a time. They did get stuck into me. I have pictures from back then. We didn’t have boots. You would play on pitches with thorns all over them but you loved it.’
His work ethic was instilled from an early age. ‘Dad was a hard bugger,’ he says. ‘But it was a really good upbringing. Strict. Watch your manners. Speak when spoken to. Acknowledge people.
As Tanna Islanders we want to be great contributors to community, we don’t want to be a burden, we want to make sure if we go to another community we are respected. Even those days as a black man Dad, who set up lots of the kids leagues, was highly respected.’
When not dodging thorns, scoring tries and kicking goals, Meninga also indulged his other passion – Enid Blyton books.
‘I loved reading,’ he explains. ‘The Famous Five and Secret Seven. Solving mysteries and going on adventures appealed to me. And I loved watching old Australian detective shows.’
Meninga won an incredible nine State of Origin crowns with Queensland Maroons
At 15, with his rugby league career blossoming, he took a cadetship with the police. The game in Queensland, while hugely popular and of a high standard, could not provide enough money to go full time.
‘You needed a job,’ Meninga explains. ‘But it wasn’t as glamorous as I’d hoped. I expected high-speed chases but the closest I got was chasing after one bloke who was pretty slow – I’d caught him within 10 yards. That was a bit of a low point.’
Months after the sad passing of his father he was selected to wear the iconic green and gold of the Kangaroos and in 1982 was part of The Invincibles, who waltzed through a tour of Great Britain and France undefeated.
Then came a season at St Helens, and eight months’ leave from the force. ‘I knew how passionate the fans in England were from the tour,’ he explains. ‘I enjoyed the environment, the singing and the chanting from the crowds. It was a great opportunity – too good an opportunity to refuse.
‘One of my best ever experiences in rugby league was playing for Saints. We (Meninga came to Saints with fellow Queenslander Phil Veivers) stayed on a dairy farm with a wonderful family called the Rainfords and we were well looked after.
‘Our meals were cooked and I had a Ford Escort from St Helens Ford with my name down the side. I could park it anywhere and get away with it!’ Had it not been for injury there would have been further spells in England. Regardless, he relishes his encounters his clashes with the Old Enemy.
He believes in international rugby league and, despite the fact England or Britain have not prevailed in a World Cup or Test series over the Aussies since 1970, feels the two countries are not as far away as some – maybe even the bosses at the cash-rich NRL competition – would have you believe.
Meninga names the 2017 rugby league World Cup final as one of the best games he’s ever seen
‘The 2017 final against England (Australia won a brutal contest 6-0) was one of the best games I’ve been involved with as a player or coach. The quality was enormous. England has always had great players in my opinion.
‘They have always been dangerous. It’s always a battle. International rugby league is huge for the players. There’s a strong desire to play it. Hopefully we can get on the same page as our execs.’
He has some creative ideas on how to strengthen. ‘We need a bit more vision from our leaders around international space. A bit more conciliatory co-operation. The NRL is where the money is. We’ve got to find ways to do it. The only way is to play games. Service that need. You’ve got to look at different ways of growing the game.
‘Take the English to Perth, for example, where there’s a huge ex-pat community. There’s a strong Pacific Island presence in the US, California, Utah. We need to look at those regions and create a way where we can lift the profile and financially grow the game.’
His Australia side thrashed Scotland 84-0 in their World Cup group stage match on Friday
The day before we meet was Meninga’s daughter’s seventh birthday, his fifth child born when he was 55 and the third of his second marriage.
‘We celebrated on FaceTime,’ he recalls. He is grateful that all of them will be born and raised Down Under. ‘They call it the lucky country. I firmly believe that. Our way of living, our lifestyle. It’s comfortable and its safe. We have everything we want.
‘Great houses, great welfare, great healthcare, great cities, great education. We don’t want for anything.’ So great grandfather Edward made the right choice when he jumped?
‘Absolutely!’ Meninga says without pause. Generations of rugby league fans, players and coaches would not argue.
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